


When We Met

by Dis1Fille



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, F/M, Family, Friends to Lovers, Maybe - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, cause they deserve names honestly, classic sonic will be younger sonic, i write about what they do from then all the way to the end of 06, maddona garnet will be here but with another last name, no beta we die like men, so basically this an au in which Elise and Sonic are childhood freinds, that tag is pretty common with me, the duke is named Venice and the duchess is called Nadya
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:40:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27218782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dis1Fille/pseuds/Dis1Fille
Summary: 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯, 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦…Princess Elise is young girl who wants nothing more but friends to have fun with. So what if she had met some of them earlier on than what destiny had intended to. Especially in regards to a certain blue hegdehog...
Relationships: Princess Elise/Sonic the Hedgehog
Kudos: 14





	1. Pink Lady

**Author's Note:**

> Huzzah! I didn't take a year to update woo! But will it last? dont know but at least i learn to italicize
> 
> fellas this is my first ever multi-chapter fic and it S H O W S...but today is a special day for me and nothing is gonna stop me from uploading this. As you know this a childhood friendship au between Elise and Sonic.  
> that's it.  
> aight now go read.

_ Age 4, May 1 _

Elise happily ran in Soleanna forest near the apple trees.

Chasing behind her were her parents, Nadya and Venice.

Both of her parents have just returned from their respective destinations and Elise was more than excited to have fun with them all day!

Not to mention that her birthday was on March 20 and while her parents were not there to celebrate with her, they declared that her birthday would be celebrated alongside the upcoming Soleanna Sun Festival!

Needless to say, Elise was brimming with joy.

The Soleanna Sun Festival would be celebrated throughout the entire month of June and Elise was already imagining all the fun she would have!

Why couldn't June come quicker!

“Elise! Wait for your madre! I can't run as fast as you and your poor padre is carrying all the stuff for the picnic!” 

Elise heard the warm voice of her mother. 

As she stopped running, she turned around to see where her parents were.

Her parents were strolling as they each carried baskets of the picnic they were gonna have under the apple trees.

She quickly scurried to her father's side.

Looking at him with begging eyes, she said, “I know you said no before but can I PLEEEEAAAASSSSEEEE help you carry anything padre?! Oh please, please, PLEASE!”

The duke merely chuckled at her vivid persistence.

“I will...when you're older Elise.”

Elise pouted as she crossed her arms.

“That's not fair daddy, I wanna carry something too! Let me help too!” she cried.

Sensing that her daughter genuinely wanted to help, the Duchess of Soleanna headed to her spouse's side.

She gazed at her husband with a warm smile of hers.

“Oh come now Venice, I'm sure Elise can carry something out of your hands. She's a big girl now!” 

“Yeah I'm a big girl now! A strong girl too!” Elise quickly added.

The duke could only let out a hearty chuckle.

“Very well then! If both of my ladies say that Elise is a big and strong girl, then I will let her carry the blanket for the picnic.”

Elise's smile grew from ear to ear.

“YAAAAAYYYYYY!” She cried out as she jumped in victory.

The Duke and Duchess warmly smiled at their daughter as the Duke handed her the blanket.

It was a burgundy blanket. 

While it was folded up, Elise was sure that embedded on the blanket would be the symbol of Soleanna.

The Sun of Soleanna itself.

The Sun God, Solaris.

She has seen the symbol before many times. 

And each time, her soul would warm up a little knowing that Solaris will continue to watch over everyone she loves.

With the blanket on her hands, she gave it a quick hug as if she was actually hugging Solaris itself and continued to stride forward to their destination.

“Well Elise,” the Duchess’ voice grabbed the attention of Elise.

“Since you have the blanket, where do you think we should go?”

Elise pondered for a moment.

Which tree would be the best tree to sit next to?

Elise scrutinized each apple tree until she finally saw one that satisfied her.

She beamed at the beautiful apple tree as she pointed to it.

“This one! This one! This is the perfect tree! We've got to sit here!” She exclaimed.

Elise swiftly ran to the tree with her parents following suit.

She laid out the blanket in front of the tree.

Of course, the symbol of Soleanna laid proudly embedded on the blanket.

The Duke and Duchess setted up the picnic as Elise carefully watched them.

Soon enough, Elise and her parents were enjoying themselves with some Freight sandwiches that Elise and her mother made.

After Elise had finished her sandwich, she bombarded her parents with questions over the trips that they took.

“So how was Mazuri like mamma? Will the kids there finally get the schools they need?”

“What did that soldier group want? I think their name was GUN? I'm not sure papà.”

“I heard over the news that you were talking about funding research for the cure NIDS, mamma. What's NIDS?”

“Oh and how was meeting with the queen of Ingland*? Was she nice? How long has she been queen?”

“Papà, people have been going crazy about mia Madre! Everyone on the news says she's the best Duchess the world has ever seen! They say that she's the Duchess of the People! I feel so happy that everyone loves mia madre, padre!”

But before Elise could ask anymore questions, the Duchess promptly enveloped her daughter in a tight bear hug.

“Calmati, Elise. We will never answer your questions if you don't let us answer them!”

Elise gazed at her mother before her mouth opened.

“A posto Mamma!” 

The Duchess beamed 

“Molto bene, Elise. Now Elise before I answer your questions, would you fetch us some apples so that we can make some apple crostatas at home? I want to speak with your padre for a moment about his meetings.”

Elise quickly nodded.

“Sì Mamma! I'll be back!” Elise shouted as she ran off with a basket to collect apples.

As Elise quickly disappeared into the tree foliage, the Duchess of Soleanna faced her husband with a scrutinized look.

“So what did G.U.N try to offer this time Venice?”

The Duke merely shrugged.

“Same old Nadya. Protection in exchange for technology.”

The Duchess sighed.

“It seems as if everyone's after our technology, Venice.”

The Duke sipped on his tea before he replied back.

“Can you really blame them? We can practically go back or forward in time.”

The Duchess laughed at the Duke's statement.

“No it's true. It may not be perfect but we now have the means of traveling through time. This could perhaps prove very useful if we ever need-”

A finger quickly shushed the Duke from continuing.

The Duchess gave the Duke a piercing look before she continued once again.

“Venice, please do not do anything that may anger Solaris. We do not want the world to suffer by our mistakes.”

The Duke was pinned by merely the gaze of her wife. It was fascinating to see just how much a presence she had over him.

It was one of the reasons why he had fallen in love with her.

The Duke sighed.

“Very well then, Nadya. I will try my best.”

The piercing look on the Duchess soon turned warm and inviting. 

“Very well then. Is there anything else I need to know?”

* * *

Skirmishing through the apple trees was Elise as her eyes were glued to the floor.

Unfortunately she was only allowed to pick up apples from the ground as she was still too young to go up ladders.

_ Hmph! Wait until I get old enough to climb the ladder! _

Elise carefully examined each of the fallen Pink Lady's she'd picked up. 

She didn't want any bugs in them when making crostatas. 

Peering over her shoulder, she noticed a basket filled with apples. 

Apple season has just begun and the gardeners have already begun picking them.

It would've been so easy to just pick those apples and go back, but Elise decided firmly that she wanted to do this on her own!

As the minutes rolled by, Elise noticed that the basket was getting a little bit heavier for her.

Looking inside confirmed that she had already collected a good amount.

Nodding to herself for her hard work, she headed off back to her parents when all of sudden she heard a crunching sound.

Stopping at her tracks, Elise looked around to see where the sound had come from.

_ CRUNCH! _

There it was again!

This time it sounded as if someone was taking a bite of an apple.

Elise slowly creeped to the source of the sound, which was behind a tree.

Pressing her back against said tree, she slowly peered over the tree and what Elise saw marbled her.

It was a hedgehog.

A blue hedgehog to be precise.

A hedgehog as blue as the sky above.

Elise didn't know why but she immediately wanted to be his friend.

With a huge grin on her face, she tapped on the hedgehog’s shoulder.

“Hi there! My name's Elise, what's yours!”

The response was not exactly the one Elise had hoped to get.

Immediately, the hedgehog jumped away from her and put up his arms as if he was gonna fight.

His coal eyes glared at her as they awaited for her next move.

_ Oh no! This is not what I wanted! _

Elise knew she had to show the hedgehog she had not meant any harm.

Elise set down the basket and immediately raised her arms.

“I'm very sorry! I-I didn't mean scaring so bad like that! I only wanted to be friends with you! Really! I truly, truly mean it!” She exclaimed.

The hedgehog didn't move. 

And his eyes were still trained on her.

_ Oh this is bad! What can I do! _

Elise glanced at her basket.

She quickly got an idea.

Carefully, she reached over to the basket and picked up an apple.

“I interrupted you while you were eating. I'm very sorry about that. So I want you to have this apple that I picked up earlier. Just wash with lemon juice or vinegar and you'll be able to eat.”

Her arms extended with the apple they carried.

Elise smiled.

“I'm really very sorry. I hope this can make it up.”

For a while the hedgehog remained the same.

But little by little, he appeared less tense.

His coal eyes no longer glared at her.

He took one step.

Then another.

Then another.

Then another.

He silently tiptoed to Elise until he was right in front of her.

Elise was definitely taller than him but by only a few centimeters.

Still it must be a lot for the hedgehog.

Elise then kneeled down as she sat down on her knees.

She gave the blue hedgehog a warm smile.

The hedgehog noticeably became less tense after that as his arm reached out for the apple.

The hedgehog gaped at the apple first then it gaped at Elise.

For a moment, Elise swore that the hedgehog was looking at her in wonder.

But it was only for a moment as the blue hedgehog sprinted away from her at such high speed.

“WAIT! Will I ever see again!” Elise exclaimed.

The hedgehog merely disappeared in forest foliage before her.

Elise could only stare where the hedgehog had disappeared to.

Elise could feel tears well up in her eyes.

She didn't mean to frighten him.

She had only wanted to become friends with him.

She just hoped that the apple would be able to compensate with what she caused.

Sadly, she rose and picked up the basket as she headed back to her parents.

* * *

“Venice I'm telling you! She will definitely be perfect! The times are changing and it's time that we should be spicing up the Soleanna Festival!”

“I know but I still fear that our citizens may be uncomfortable with her stage presence.”

“Well it's already too late to cancel anything. She will be coming whether we like it or not. Besides what bad will it do if she comes? If anything the tourism will only grow even more so than it usually is around this time of the year!”

“You just want to see her because you adore her music, don't you Nadya?”

The Duchess simpered.

“Maybe…”

The Duke signed.

“Oh tesoro, what am I gonna do with you?”

The Duchess laughed as she hugged the arm of her husband.

“Nothing cuore mio!”

The laughter of both the Duchess and the Duke could be heard throughout the forest.

Even Elise could hear them as she got closer to her parents.

The Duke of Soleanna was the first to see Elise heading towards them.

“Ah, mio passerotta! Elise! We were just about to leave! Your mother and I were talking about the festival,” the Duke called out.

The Duchess warmly smiled as she saw her daughter come closer.

But as Elise did, the Duchess noticed the tears in Elise's eyes that were threatening to spill.

Her smile turned grim as she stood and ran to comfort her daughter.

The Duke soon noticed the state that Elise was in and followed the Duchess as well.

The Duchess soon lifted her daughter and comforted her in a tight, warm hug.

“Mia passerotta, why do such eyes have so much sadness in them? Tell me Elise,” the Duchess soothed into her daughter's ear.

The Duke remained silent as he merely rubbed soothing circles unto her daughter's back.

Both patiently waited for their daughter's answer.

Elise felt overwhelmed with emotion.

The affection of her parents was the catalyst that spilled the dam of emotions she held inside. 

She wept on the shoulder of her mother.

She wept and wept until there were no more tears to spill.

Her head rose to view her surroundings.

No longer was she in the tree foliage of the forest.

She was back at the castle, still in the arms of her mother.

Her young, sapphire eyes were met with warm, wise grey moonstone.

The kind eyes of her mother.

A hand stroked the back of Elise's head as a voice broke the silence.

“Mia passerotta, do you feel a little bit better or do you still need some time?”

Elise shook her head.

She still felt sad but she no longer had the desire to cry.

“No mamma. I-I feel a little less sad than I was before,” Elise responded.

The Duchess gave her a small smile.

“Do you want to speak about what caused you to be so sad, Elise?” the Duchess asks.

Elise sighs breathlessly as she notices her father sitting in a chair opposite of where she and her mom were sitting. 

Her mother’s comfort was always nice to have, but she never understood why her father wouldn’t comfort her as much as her mother.

Still, she knew he did love her even if she wished he’d show it a little more.

Looking at her mother once again, Elise wipes away the tear stains long since they dried.

“I met someone in the forest, mamma,” she says. “I wanted to be friends with him but I think I scared him. I didn’t mean to scare him, mamma.”

The Duke and Duchess listen attentively to their daughter. 

From the beginning, Elise tells them everything. From the part of where she was picking Pink Lady’s, all the way to her coming back on the verge of tears. She told them about how she met the blue, sky hedgehog. How she startled him. How she wanted to make up for her action. How he meticulously tiptoed to receive said compensation. How he ran and disappeared into the forest. 

She told everything.

And they both listened.

The room was silent after Elise had finished. 

“You truly wanted to be his friend didn’t you?” the Duked asked.

Elise nodded. “More than what I imagined papà.”

The Duke stood up and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Have faith Elise. If he was in the forest, then there may be a chance that the boy may still be in Soleanna.”

Elise once saddened eyes lit up in hope.

“Do you really think so papà?” Elise asked.

The Duke nodded.

“I know so Elise. Solaris is always looking out for each and every one of us. And I doubt that Solaris would want a piccola like you in tears.”

Elise giggled as her smile was slowly returning.

“So Elise don’t cry. Everything will be alright,” the Duke continued.

“Yes Elise, smile because hope is not lost yet,” the Duchess replies.

And with that, Elise’s smile returned.

She was still sad that she couldn’t be friends with the hedgehog but it still wasn’t too late to do so!

“I’m sorry for crying earlier. I wasn’t thinking like that before,” Elise confesses as she faced both of her parents.

The Duchess merely assures her daughter.

“Nonsense! Never apologize for your emotions, Elise. They are very precious things and should be treasured deeply. Don’t ever feel ashamed for expressing them.”

“Grazie infinite, mamma,” Elise murmurs as she hugs her mother.

The Duchess returns her hug.

“Is that all you wish to speak about Elise?” spoke the Duke.

“Yes. I’m more fine than I was before,” replies Elise.

“Very well then. If you could excuse me, I need to check on the preparation of the Soleanna Festival now. What will you do Nadya?”

“I will be making the apple crostatas that me and Elise promised to make,” the Duchess responded.

“Oh tesoro save some for me!” the Duke said.

The Duchess laughed. “Oh I will don’t worry you zuccherino.”

The Duke soon left.

“Alright mia passerotta, let’s get to work!” said the Duchess as she extended her hand to Elise.

Elise gleefully reached for her mother’s hand as they both headed towards the kitchen. 

  
  
  
  


After they had finished with the apple crostatas, Elise and her mother headed towards the recreational room.

As the Duchess was reading “The Italian Wife”, Elise was cheerfully drawing away with the crayons she had.

Elise did her very best to recreate the boy she had met in the forest.

_ A blue circle here. _

_ Three triangles there. _

_ Two black eyes. _

_ Another blue circle. _

_ And a peach circle inside the blue circle. _

_ One cute little nose. _

_ Two peach lines. _

_ Two blue lines. _

_ And two cool, red shoes. _

_ Oh! And a red apple too! _

Yes! It looked exactly like him.

As she finished, she held the picture above her head as if it was valuable treasure.

For Elise, it was valuable treasure.

With the picture in hand, Elise promised herself that she would give him this picture to the hedgehog as soon as she would find him.

She would apologize for frightening and then give him the picture.

Elise hoped that the next time she would see the hedgehog, she wouldn’t startled him as much as she did today.


	2. Barrette Aigrettes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof took me this long to update huh?  
> yeah that's my fault honestly. Actually I intended to finish the chapter in Nov but as I was proofreading it, i wasn't satisfied with how the chapter turned out and i had to rewrite it completely along with what little i had for ch.3. it sucks and Nov was a busy month for me so yeah. Regardless Im much more satisfied with this version than with the previous so thats good! Hopefully I won't take forever to upload the next chapter! also i attempt to write italian...i try kay  
> aight now go read.

_ Age 4, May 15 _

Fourteen days have passed since Elise met the blue hedgehog.

Fourteen days have passed, and Elise has yet to find any sign of said hedgehog.

Every day Elise would either ask her mother or father for permission to walk to Soleanna Forest to see if she could find him there.

They would, of course, but always under the supervision of the Soleanna Royal Guard. Neither of her parents could join as they were either busy with preparing the Soleanna Festival or the secret stuff that her father would work in his lab. Still, Elise didn’t think that the Soleanna Royal Guards were a bad company to have. Her favorite guards were especially Pietro, Fabio, Guido, Giorgio, and Alessio.

She could talk to them all day, and they would always genuinely pay attention to her.

And she would do the same for them.

However, this would be the last day she could go to the Soleanna Forest. Her mother had told her that they would soon move out to the Palace in Castle Town for the Soleanna Sun Festival. 

Elise was more than thrilled when her mother told her that! It would be the first time that she would ever visit the Palace out on the sea! 

However, that was not true as her mother did explain to her that she HAD been there before. Just much younger. Like when she was just one-year-old.

But Elise had no recollection of such events. So consequently, it would be the first time that she would be there AND have memories of being there! 

Regardless, Elise was very thrilled as she frolicked around on her usual path in the forest. 

Her imagination was at full blast as she anxiously wanted to hear the blue waves of the sea and smell the salt in the air! She wondered if there would be a beach for her to run on and collect shells. But that was only the beginning. Elise was eager to see what the Castle was like! She had seen some pictures, but her mother always told her that pictures could only do so much to replicate the real thing. This statement only left Elise more excited that she could hardly contain herself for the rest of the day. 

Her mother said that tomorrow morning would be the time they would head off the sea palace. Elise was ready for tomorrow and only wished to Solaris that it would get here faster. 

But Elise was excited about something else as well. In truth, she was glad that she could finally go to Soleanna Castle Town. Elise hoped that the hedgehog she was looking for would be at Soleanna. Elise had no idea where on Soleanna he would be! But Elise would not stop until she could properly apologize to him and give him the picture that she drew! 

After that, maybe Elise could invite him to the Soleanna Sun Festival. And perhaps be friends? 

Oh! How Elise wanted that to be true! 

However, a voice interrupted. "May I ask why her highness is giddier than usual?" The voice asked. 

Elise turned around to see that the voice belonged to Pietro. Pietro was the proud Lieutenant of the Soleanna Royal Guard while Fabio, Guido, Giorgio, and Alessio were Sergeants. There was also a Captain, which Pietro explained was a higher rank than Lieutenant, but Elise never knew him. Either way, they were the best people to hang around and she wouldn't have it any other way. 

"Pietro I will be going to the Palace in the sea for the Soleanna Sun Festival!" She exclaimed. 

"I had a feeling that was what got you more excited than usual, your Highness." He replied. 

Elise nodded. "I can't wait to go there because I've always wanted to know what the place looks like and actually be able to remember it!" 

"You have a point there, Princess. The last time you went there was when you were two-years-old. I doubt anyone can remember anything when they're like barely two." Alessio cut in.

Fabio huffed in annoyance. "Alessio, only answer when you are being called. Especially if it's in the presence of her Highness." 

"Well technically, Alessio was only talking to Pietro so your point is kinda moot." Giorgio cheekily responded.

"Che peccato, Fabio. Better luck next time!" Alessio coyly added.

Fabio glared at both Alessio and Giorgio. 

"My point still stands as Pietro is your Lieutenant who will soon be your Captain, Giorgio. He is your superior and you are to act as such." Fabio countered. 

Guido merely sighed as he brought his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Oddio. Here we go again." 

Elise giggled at the sight. They always seemed to make such a big deal over the littlest of things and then the next day they would all act as if nothing happened.

Fortunately for everybody, Elise's interest perked when Fabio mentioned that Pietro was soon going to be Captain. Now, this was something she never heard before. 

"Oh Pietro, you're going to be a Captain? I didn't know that. Bravo Pietro!" Elise clapped. 

Pietro stared puzzledly at Elise, then turned his head to Fabio with a disapproving look. "Fabio...that won't happen until  _ next year _ in case you've forgotten."

All eyes were soon on Fabio. 

Sensing that all eyes were watching him, Fabio slightly flushed in embarrassment as he coughed and crossed his arms. "Mi perdoni, Pietro. I was getting ahead of myself." 

Alessio and Giorgio lightly snickered.

"Eh, it's alright, Fabio. Just don't get us all excited for something that will happen in a year." Pietro stated as he lightly waved his hand in assurance. 

Elise slightly dampened. "So you're not going to be a Captain, Pietro?" She asked. 

Pietro smiled comfortingly. "I will, your Highness. The Captain of the Soleanna Royal Guard will retire next year after nearly forty-years in service. I will take his place and become Captain, which is a very important job in Soleanna. I will make sure that I will do my job diligently to protect Soleanna and its inhabitants." Pietro declared as he kneeled to Elise's height. 

Elise beamed and gave Pietro a big smile. "I know you will, Pietro! I'm so excited that you will be a Captain!" She exclaimed.

"Alla buon'ora! Non credi?" Alessio blurted out, only to be elbowed by a very annoyed Fabio. 

Pietro shook his head in disapproval at the sight while Elise giggled until she could not contain her laughter.

Throughout the forest, Elise's laughter echoed. All of the Soleanna guards could not help but smile at the jubilant Princess and her wonderful laugh. 

After Elise calmed down, she decided it was time to head back to the castle. Tomorrow, she and her family were supposed to be ready to move to the sea palace. Although her mother had told her that she didn't need to worry about packing, Elise wanted to put in some of the stuff she wanted to bring. Elise couldn't hold her excitement as she frolicked back to her home. 

Suddenly Alessio's voice interrupted the silence. 

"Pietro, if I may?" He asked. 

"Go ahead, Alessio." Pietro acknowledged. 

Alessio cleared his throat. "When you have been inaugurated as Captain, will you seriously do what I think you might do?" 

Pietro arched a brow in confusion. "What is it that you think I might do, Alessio? I don't understand what you're trying to mean."

Alessio flatly sighed. "Don't you remember? I'm talking about the test. Are you seriously going to do that?"

Pietro's face lit in realization. "Oh! I see what you mean now. Yes! I will do that, Alessio. Why do you ask?"

Alessio stared blankly at Pietro as silence reigned over the group.

All eyes were on Alessio as his face suddenly cringed in disbelief and disgust.

"What?" asked Pietro.

"Stai scherzando?! Oddio! Non ci credo Pietro!" Alessio complained.

"Cosa c'è che non va Alessio?" Elise asked.

"Pietro is going to do that stupid test where recruits have to guess which one of us is the real Captain. It's dumb so let me be the first to say this, I'm going to reveal the answer to said recruits. And no, I won't change my mind about this." Alessio declared*. 

"Yeah, I also think it's a bit dumb honestly. What do you think, Guido?" Giorgio chimed in.

Guido merely shrugged and remained quiet, as always.

"Alessio! Giorgio! How dare you deride your future Captain's motives! I would like to add that this procedure has always been here for quite some time now. I don't see why you are complaining about this now?" Fabio huffily explained. 

Alessio incredulously glared at Fabio. "It was stupid then and it's stupid now! I  _ was _ hoping that Pietro would've gotten rid of it but it appears that he won't, which is a darn shame."

"Attento a come parli Alessio!" Fabio angrily stated. 

"Pfft! E allora?" Alessio cheekily countered.

Pietro wearily groaned. "Every time I swear...Basta così! We will bicker about this later, for Solaris' sake!" Pietro asserted as he glared at his comrades. 

Elise could only chuckle at the sight of the bickering friends. 

"I apologize for the unruly display you had to witness of my comrades, Princess Elise." Pietro said. 

"That's okay Pietro! I honestly think you guys are the best guards I've ever met! So don't worry about it!" Elise beamed.

"Mille grazie, Princess Elise," Pietro stated as he bowed, with the rest following suit as well. 

As Pietro rose his upper body, a small hand quickly grabbed his hand, and was dragged away by the small four-year-old princess. 

"Alright Pietro, we get it! But we have to hurry! We need to go back so that I can get ready for tomorrow!" Elise said as she hauled Pietro back to her home. "I can't wait to see the Palace and Soleanna!" 

Pietro sheepishly laughed as the tiny Princess dragged him away. He didn't even mind when his other comrades laughed at the amusing display.

From there on, Elise carried Pietro and the others back to the Old Palace. Excited for what tomorrow might bring.

  
  
  


* * *

__

Bidding farewell to Pietro and the others, Elise hurried down the hallways and stairs of the monumental Old Castle. Although she loved the Old Castle very much, sometimes it felt too big for her. Even after all this time, she would sometimes find herself lost in the massive castle. Thankfully, there would always be some ladies-in-waiting if she ever did get lost...like how she was right now.

Elise had gotten lost while trying to look for her mother.

From a lady-in-waiting named Helena, she said that her mother was currently in the barrel room along with others. 

Elise had never actually gone to the barrel room before. The only thing she knew about it was that it was near the bottom where the castle met the water. That part of the palace was terrifying for Elise to bear, so she opted to stay in her room. There, Elise prepared for the trip tomorrow.

Of the things she packed was an abacus that her father gave her. Although she had little experience with it, her father promised her that in time she would understand it.

Another thing she packed was a komboloi made of amber that her mother got from Apotos. Elise would always kill time with it whenever she was bored in one of her parent's long meetings. And she had a feeling that it may come in handy in the coming days.

But more importantly, she packed the picture of the blue hedgehog that she met fourteen days ago. She made sure that it was the first thing she packed because Elise would never forgive herself if she forgot the picture and, by chance, meet said hedgehog. Although, it worried her that she might not even meet him ever again. Taking a deep breath, Elise pushed aside her worries. As her mother once told her, it was no use worrying over things that haven't happened. " _ The more you worry, Elise, the more you'll never move forward. It's good to be a little worried, but like always, too much can be negative."  _ Elise recalled her mother's words as she beamed.

"Yeah. No time to worry!" she declared. 

Elise was far too eager to be dampened.

Just then, a knock sounded. Elise quickly ran over to the door to open it. As she did, she was greeted by her parents.

"Mamma! Papà! I'm so excited for tomorrow! I can't wait to see the new palace!" She exclaimed as her father lifted her high up.

"I can see that, Elise!" The Duke of Soleanna smiled. 

"Elise will finally be able to remember what the new castle will look like, Venice. It's no wonder why she would be so excited for this," the Duchess of Soleanna added. "I also believe that she's not only eager for that as well. You have another reason why you are excited, don't you, Elise?"

Elise nodded. "Yes, Mamma! I'll be able to visit Soleanna where I can meet the people and enjoy the festival with them! And not only that, I'll be on the lookout for the hedgehog that I met in the forest back then! And when I do, I'll give him the picture that I made, and we can become the best of friends! Mamma, Papà, I was so excited that I packed some of the things I'm going to bring for the trip!" she exclaimed as she pointed to the small backpack on the floor.

The Duke and Duchess stared at the backpack Elise had pointed. Soon, they both erupted with laughter at their daughter's enthusiasm.

"Oh, mia passerotta! You really weren't joking when you said that you were excited!" the Duchess stated as she brushed her daughter's hair. 

Elise grinned. "No, Mamma! I wasn't!" 

"Well, that may be true, Elise, but it's already late. Look at the time! It's 21:00 already. It's way past your bedtime, Elise," the Duke said. "Mio passerotta, it's time for you to go to bed."

Elise playfully groaned. "Ma papà...I'm not tired!"

"True, but tomorrow will come faster if you do sleep." The Duke replied.

Elise only grumbled. 

"Venice, go on. I'll catch up with you later. I will put Elise to bed. Bene?" the Duchess asked.

The Duke gazed at the Duchess before he broke the silence.

"Bene, mio tesoro. I'll see you later," the Duke responded as he handed his daughter to the Duchess. 

The Duke walked towards the door. But before he parted off, the Duke gazed at Elise and the Duchess before waving goodbye. 

Turning her attention to Elise, the Duchess headed towards Elise's bed. 

Gently, she tucked Elise as she was already in her salmon pajamas.

"Are you ready now, Elise?" the Duchess asked. 

"No, but I guess my father is right. If I sleep now, then tomorrow will come. But it's so hard to fall asleep now that I'm excited about everything that's going to happen, Mamma." Elise said. 

"I believe you, Elise. Perhaps you want me to tell you a story to help you sleep." The Duchess suggested.

"Oh, si dovresti Mamma!" Elise answered.

"Bene mia passerotta. Let me tell you about how I got those barrette aigrettes that I gave you." The Duchess said. 

"Oh these!" Elise said as she pointed to the aigrettes still on her head.

"Yes, Elise, those. Speaking of which," the Duchess proceeded to remove said aigrettes and placed them in the nightstand mirror next to her bed.

"There. Now as to how I got them, it was a present for me when I turned twelve-years-old. My family at the time was very average. We weren't very rich nor were we poor, but we were happy. My father was a silversmith that only had little experience with jewelry-making but wanted to make me my first jewelry piece. With the help of my mother, my father created the wing-shaped barrette. The jewel flowers, however, were added much later on. My father thought that the bare barrette looked fine on its own, but my mother insisted that he add something else to give it more glam. Of course, my father had no clue what to put on it, so my mother put two feathers on the barrette and said to my father, " _ Now it can be called jewelry".  _ Thanks to my mom, the barrette became an aigrette, and my father would finally be able to give it to me as a present. However, there was a problem," The Duchess explained.

"What happened?" Elise asked. 

"It turned out, my father wanted to create **two** of the same wing-shaped barrettes. Unfortunately, he only had time to create one so the other one was simpler than the other one. On the day of my birthday, he gave me those pair of aigrettes and I couldn't have been happier. It was one of the happiest days of my life, Elise. I was so happy about those aigrettes that I wasn't even disappointed in the simplicity of one of them. Since then, they have been very precious to me, and giving them to you was a choice I don't regret. I hope that those barrettes are as precious to you as they were to me,'" the Duchess stated.

"So how did they get the flower jewels on one of them, Mamma?" Elise asked.

The Duchess beamed as she recollected. 

"It was your father that surprised me after he became my ragazzo. He had taken the aigrette to a jeweler where he asked to put some jewels. The flowers were a simple detail and compared to other royal jewels, the aigrettes weren't impressive as they were. However, those aigrettes ended up becoming my signature jewel. So much so, that even your father had to get one of his own to match my look." The Duchess giggled. "Those aigrettes may not have come from any royal descent but they become a symbol for the Soleanna Royal Family and Soleanna as a whole."**

"Won't you miss your aigrettes, Mamma?" Elise inquired.

The Duchess merely smiled. "Don't you remember, Elise? I don't regret giving you the aigrettes because you are precious enough for me to give them to you. Whenever you wear them, remember me, Elise. I'll always be there even if you aren't wearing them, Elise." 

Elise nodded. "Bene, Mamma! Can I get a hug now?"

"You don't need to ask mia passerotta." The Duchess replied.

Elise soon felt the warm arms of her mother envelope her as she did the same. The feeling of drowsiness crept on her as she continued to hug her mother.

"Mamma, I think I'm getting tired now," Elise stated. 

"Well then, it's time for you to go to bed, Elise." The Duchess returned.

"I'll wake you up at 6:00 am, Elise," the Duchess said. "If you need anything, we'll be next door."

Elise tiredly grumbled. "Mamma, I'm four-years-old now. I'm big enough to handle nightmares now."

The Duchess quietly chuckled. "Very well then, Elise. I'm just merely suggesting."

As Elise rested her head on the soft, feathered pillow, the Duchess leaned down to press a kiss to Elise.

The Duchess' warm lips pressed on Elise's forehead. "Sogni d'oro mia passerotta." 

With half-lidded eyes, Elise hazily saw how her mother walked towards the door. Her mother momentarily paused at the doorway to fondly gaze at Elise before closing the door. 

The drowsiness slowly closed on Elise as she shifted in her bed.

Before the blanket of sleep lulled her, Elise imagined all the things she would do tomorrow and during the Soleanna Sun Festival.

Elise smiled as she finally closed her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *For those who don't remember, Pietro, Alessio, Giorgio, Guido, and Fabio are all NPC's from Sonic 06 infamous mission of finding out who is the captain. I wanted to give these characters more personality and history than what the game gives them, so this is my attempt. I based their personalities on their answers (which wasn't in the slightest helpful lol) or in other missions they feature (in this case only Alessio). I also poke fun at the mission because c'mon someone in their ranks had to have thought it was dumb as well. Soleanna is a very interesting place and its a darn shame that it doesn't feel as alive as I would like it be, so hopefully I do these characters and Soleanna justice. 
> 
> **The little headpieces that Elise has will be called aigrettes because it sounds so much nicer than "feather crown" the sonic wiki gives them. And they kinda are tbh...I think. Anyways the aigrettes have more history to them because I thought it was interesting that despite being a princess, Elise doesn't wear a traditional tiara like how it would typically be done. I like to headcanon that they have a personal significance to Elise because they belonged to her mother once and it has slowly become a symbol for the Soleanna Royal Family. That, and more history about her mother is a plus! 
> 
> Anyways how was that? Thank you for those who kudo'ed or just read my story! You inspired to finish the chapter despite the setback I had. I'm not sure when I'm gonna update but here's hoping that it will be soon! Thanks for reading and please don't hesitate to give feedback!

**Author's Note:**

> *I was tempted to use Spagonia instead of the fake name of Ingland because the Sonic wiki said that Spagonia was inspired by England. However it never mentioned that it had any type of monarchy, so I decided to create a country. I can do this because Japan is a legit place in game canon so yeah.
> 
> Anyways how was that? I'm not sure when I'm gonna update but here's hoping that it will be soon! Thanks for reading and please don't hesitate to give feedback!


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